


Fait Accompli

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Back to Earth, Coming Out, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Moving In Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 09:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14422959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: After Rodney's realization that he and John belong together, there's still the matter of making it happen...





	1. Getting together

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Lightning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14422731) by [velocitygrass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass). 



> Sequel to [Lightning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14422731) and originally written in May 2009.
> 
> Mention of: Teyla/Kanaan, Ronon/Amelia
> 
> Posted for McSheplets Challenge #249: The Day After

Rodney doesn't even think about it again for the next few hours. He's in a good mood, working on his latest project, has a quick lunch at his desk, and it's only at dinner when he watches John eat that he remembers. John is licking his lips, and Rodney thinks about taking him to his room after dinner to kiss him—a lot.

Of course, he realizes he should tell John that they're a couple now first.

Rodney is a bit annoyed by that. It's not that he has any doubts. He still feels that their relationship can't be anything else. It's just that John can be stubborn about things. It took him several times to realize that no, Rodney _really_ did not intend to join him for a run in the morning. And Rodney doesn't look forward to the prospect of having to convince John of this. But it might be one of the things that you have to put up with in a relationship.

He sighs loudly.

John looks at him, his look questioning.

"Can we go to my room after dinner?" Rodney asks.

John frowns, puzzled. "Sure," he says, one corner of his mouth curving up in the hint of a smile.

Rodney thinks about kissing that mouth and the best approach to break the news of their new life to John.

~~

What he comes up with is less a strategy of any kind and more to present John with a fait accompli: Once they're inside he takes John face in his hands and kisses him.

Rodney closes his eyes and waits, but John seems frozen to the spot and nothing's happening, and maybe this simply would have been too easy.

Rodney pulls away, frustrated. "You just _have_ to be difficult about this."

John's stunned expression turns into annoyance. " _Difficult_? You kissed me!"

"I'm aware of that," Rodney says, managing not to add _Duh_.

"Why did you do that?" John asks, sounding a bit suspicious.

Rodney gives him a look.

"Yeah, okay," John concedes. "But... _why_?"

"Because!" Rodney says impatiently. "Because I had the faint hope that you'd make this _easy_. Because I love you and you love me and I really want to be kissing you now instead of _convincing_ you that there's no way this is _not_ happening between us. But no, you have to be your stubborn self and—"

That is when John grabs Rodney's face and kisses him.

Rodney kisses back and moans because it's as he's known it would be like: knee-weakening, spine-tingling, breath-taking.

They make their way to the bed, and there's more kissing on the mouth and other places, and there's skin and John burying his head in Rodney's neck and whispering, "What you said... you really..." and Rodney answering, "Yes, you idiot," to which John says, "That's not a very nice thing to say to your..." He doesn't finish and smiles against Rodney's cheek instead.

And then they have really awesomely great sex that doesn't feel like a first time at all.


	2. Coming out

Rodney has no reason to complain about his relationship with John. It hasn't changed all that much in many ways. They still eat together, hang out, go on missions. They now also do some of the hanging out naked or in bed together or preferably both while engaging in awesomely great sex.

However, what they have now is still miles away from what Rodney thinks they should be.

Awesomely great sex is really just that, but Rodney notices it severely dampens his joy of being with John that he can't share it (as in talk about it; there will be no sharing of sex with John). Actually, mostly he doesn't care because Teyla, Ronon, and Jennifer know and again, most of their interaction hasn't changed, but in the moments that it bothers Rodney that no one must know, it really _pisses_ him off.

He's used to the jealousy but it doesn't make it any easier to just sit there and take it when some hussy comes up to John with a flirty smile on her face and he _cannot_ stand up and say, "Fuck off, he's _mine_!"

Not that he thinks he actually would, but to know that he _can't_ annoys him. Besides, he's pretty sure that if he _could_ say it, he would be much nicer about it. More with a superior smile and telling her, "I'm sorry, but you have no chance with my _husband_."

Of course, they're far from _that_ particular part of his future life with John.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is still in place, though not for long, which is why Rodney can contemplate how to work out the much more difficult matter of fraternization.

He wants their relationship to be out in the open. Not just so that he can publicly stake his claim on John should any woman (or man for that matter) try to interfere, but equally for _John_.

Torren has started to form coherent strings of meaningful words and is rapidly approaching a point that could be called ability to communicate. As a result John has tried to make him say "Uncle John" and "puddle jumper". He's also begun to get twitchy every time Rodney is openly affectionate with him in front of Torren which makes Rodney both angry and incredibly sad. Though mostly angry. Not at John, of course. It all comes back to one thing.

They have to come out as a couple.

There's no way around it, which means one of them has to leave the team and Teyla and Ronon _belong_ on John's team, so Rodney has enacted Plan C for "Check out the other teams to find the one least likely to make me go insane or to lead to murder".

He's scheduling himself for missions when other teams have found something potentially interesting.

He likes Lorne and his team, but they're a unit, and he cannot imagine kicking one of them out, and he'd feel like a fifth wheel if he joined them. There are a few less established teams, where he could imagine replacing the scientist or one of the team members, but none of them give him the feeling of going out with John and Teyla and Ronon at his side.

So he keeps jotting down the pros and cons after each extra mission, hoping he'll find the right team for him or to be able to choose the best of those that aren't quite right.

He does so until John comes up to him in his lab one day and says, "You can stop."

Rodney doesn't want to play dumb, but he also doesn't want to jump to conclusions so he asks, "What?"

"Looking for a replacement team. Because it's _not_ going to happen," John says firmly.

Rodney stands up and crosses his arms in front of him. "It _has_ to happen," he says stubbornly. He doesn't want to have to convince John, but he will if it's necessary.

"You're not leaving the team," John says, stressing every word.

"I'm not going to hide my relationship with you forever," Rodney says matter-of-factly.

"And I'm not asking you to," John answers.

This surprises Rodney.

"I'm working it," John continues. "Stop scheduling missions with other teams and don't worry your pretty head about it anymore."

Rodney glares at him.

John grins and gives him a quick once over before sauntering out of Rodney's lab.

~~

The day the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is announced, Cameron Mitchell walks through the gate.

Rodney's kind of pissed off at John because there can be no Team Sheppard without Sheppard. He's hoping that Teyla and Ronon will back him up on this, but they're willing to give Mitchell a chance (though Ronon does so in a very growly way).

Mitchell isn't bad. Rodney doesn't know how John convinced him and how often they have communicated, but he seems to know how to handle Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney in the field much better that you would expect from the few hours of briefings he got from John after his arrival.

The first mission is a success. There are no injuries, and Rodney can't even accuse John of sending them on a milk run, because the Ertap are highly suspicious of new travelers but they manage to get out alive and with an invitation to come back to maybe possibly start trade negotiations. Woolsey is very pleased, and John is smug even though Rodney can see a certain longing when he watches them walk away to the post-mission check-up.

"Are you sure?" Rodney later asks John after they introduced Mitchell to the rest of the base and Teyla's family.

"If I can't go out there with you, I want to at least know that Ronon and Teyla keep an eye on you, and Mitchell was the best team leader I could think of for you," John says by way of an answer.

"I _do_ know how to take care of myself," Rodney has to say.

"I know. And I know that Lorne's team or any other would look out for you as they do for each other, but I want to know that I send you out with people who are the best at what they do and who know you and still like you."

Rodney gives him a look, but his expression softens. "What about you? Don't you think _I_ would feel better knowing you're out there with Teyla and Ronon watching your back?"

"I don't think they'd like it very much if they'd have to pull double duty on two teams."

"Or we could pull half-duty," Rodney suggests, warming to the idea. "I'd have more time to work on projects, you could do Colonely things, and we could sneak away to have sex more often."

John gives him an affectionate grin. "Splitting up the team was never an option," he says gently.

"It's not the same without you," Rodney simply says.

"No, not the same, but you'll still be a team, and we'll be..." John trails off, pulling Rodney close and looking at him.

"Give me a few missions, okay?" Rodney says, because he cannot let John make this sacrifice without knowing that it will work out.

John nods and leans forward to kiss him.

~~

Three weeks later Rodney hobbles through the gate, propped up by Ronon and Mitchell and John rushes to him, worry mixed with anger and Rodney knows that he can either get John back on their team or kiss him now, in front of everyone (well, his team, which includes Mitchell now and Woolsey and the gate technicians on duty).

John's words die on his lips when Rodney embraces him right there, in front of the gate, ending any speculation that there might have been about why John left his team (not that Rodney thinks people will be surprised). By the time Jennifer wheels Rodney away on the gurney with a smile, happy for him and just a bit wistful, John has calmed down enough to simply ask what happened.


	3. Moving in

Rodney is quite satisfied with the progress he's been making. That John has to be on a different team now is less than ideal (okay, who is he kidding; it sucks; it sucks big time). But being able to sit in the infirmary and hold John's hand without having to worry if a nurse comes in is good. Equally good is John telling people (of the flirty kind) that he's in a relationship. Not that Rodney gets to see this now that he's not actually on John's team anymore, but he _does_ get to hear it when Larrin shows up one day, and Rodney mentally tells her where to stick her double entendres. John is far more apologetic than Rodney thinks is warranted, but he puts a tentative arm around Rodney, and the look on Larrin's face is priceless. Though she doesn't seem as surprised as Rodney would have thought. Oh well.

All in all Rodney thinks it's worth the sacrifice. He really doesn't want to miss being able to tell John "See you at lunch" and just run his hand down his arm for a moment and the smile that appears on John's face in response. It's that smile that makes Rodney believe that John also thinks it's worth it.

Moving in together is just a natural progression from there. They spend most of their nights together anyway (yes, in the standard Atlantis beds; Rodney has never hated the Ancients more; he swears this is the _real_ reason they wanted to ascend). The only reason that Rodney hasn't brought this up yet is that he's a very busy man and the little fear that maybe John will be spooked by this open display of commitment. Then he realizes that John has already _left their team_ for Rodney, which is pretty much the biggest thing Rodney can think of (yes, suicide missions are easy in comparison, because it's not like you'll be around to deal with the fallout). So living together will probably not be a big deal.

Confident that John will handle it as well as the kiss (which all in all was only a very minor bump; Rodney probably would have been a bit freaked if John would have just kissed him back) and coming out (Rodney still loves him just a bit more for doing this), Rodney decides to take the most direct approach.

The next time after they've had awesomely great sex, instead of complaining about the tiny Atlantean beds, Rodney says, "I know that Teyla can hook us up with a real bed. The only question is, your room, mine, or something bigger. I'm tending towards the last because I'm not sure either of our rooms is big enough for all our stuff."

John is still breathing heavily and looking at Rodney kind of unfocused. "Uh."

"I could look into bigger quarters tomorrow," Rodney suggests.

John looks at Rodney, and Rodney can't read anything from that look. He does like the flush on John's face after they've had sex, though. Maybe it's that slightly incoherent blissed out look of "Wow" that just covers up anything else John might be thinking now. Or maybe he can't think so close after sex with Rodney. Rodney smiles smugly.

John recovers enough to roll his eyes, but he smiles. "Yeah, okay," he says softly. "Do that."

Rodney grins widely and snuggles into John. He won't miss the small beds, but it's not so bad really, all things considered.


	4. I do

Their annual performance reviews on Earth are scheduled a few months after they move into shared quarters.

Living with John is how Rodney expected it would be. He's not blind to the little annoyances, like John's habit to sort his bathroom products in a specific order that isn't to be disturbed. He still curses at the time that John deems appropriate to get up in the morning (or rather night) but none of it makes him doubt for even a second that this is how it's meant to be between them.

He is content. But it doesn't stop him from thinking about their future.

He wants to marry John. Although it's not so much wants to as the awareness that they _should_ be married. Just like they should be together. He can't even explain it. But then he cannot explain why they are meant to be together either, and John has never disputed the truth of that. (Nor has anyone else for that matter, except on that mission to the homophobic planet where Rodney's announcement that he wasn't interested in finding a woman because he had already found his man was met with discomfort that bordered on disgust.)

So, again, Rodney finds himself with the question of how to break the news to John. Building on past experiences he chooses the way that worked quite well so far.

"Do you think beginning of our leave or end? And we need to tell Teyla and Ronon that they should ask to have their reviews at the same time. And to ask if Kanaan and Torren can come," he tells John after dinner.

John looks up from the comic book he's been reading. "What?"

"I was asking when we want to do it. We'll have to organize things and let Jeannie and Dave know so that they can plan ahead."

"What are we—" John stops himself mid-sentence and sits up a bit straighter. Then he frowns. "Did you propose to me while I wasn't listening?"

"You're listening now, aren't you?" Rodney points out.

"I haven't said yes," John says.

Rodney gives him a look.

John pouts. "You still could have _asked_."

Rodney rolls his eyes. Then he gets up from his desk and kneels next to the bed.

Instead of stopping him or making a joke, John sits up, says, "Wait," and moves his legs off the bed until he's sitting in front of Rodney. He isn't smiling, but there's a certain glow of anticipation there, and Rodney feels almost bad that he hadn't though of actually _asking_ John in the first place. Even if it is just a formality. After all marrying is too (not counting the legal ramifications). And he couldn't imagine John denying him that formality.

He takes John's hand, and even though he feels slightly ridiculous, he looks up at him and asks, "I intend to spend the rest of my life with you. And I think I know that you want to spend the rest of your life with _me_. So we should get married. Please say yes."

A smile spreads on John's face. "Okay."

Rodney gets up from the floor, wincing at the pain in his knees. The things he does for love. John pulls him onto his lap and kisses him. "Let's do it at the beginning. Then we can go on our honeymoon afterwards."

And that's exactly what they do.


	5. Going home

He's thought of Atlantis as his home for several years now, but it's a temporary home. He knows he won't grow old here and he really does want to grow old. And he wants his husband by his side when he does so.

It's not even John who's injured on the day he realizes the time has come.

Ronon is the one lying in the infirmary bed as Jennifer frantically works to keep him alive. Rodney exchanges glances with Teyla and Cameron whose eyes reflect the fear that they could lose their team mate.

_He can't die,_ runs through Rodney's head like a mantra. He sees flashes of moments when Ronon saved his life, when they laughed together, when Ronon kicked his ass training, and when they teased each other.

He sees something out of the corner of his eye. It's John who guides a highly pregnant Amelia into the infirmary. Teyla joins her immediately, and John comes over to him, jaw clenched as they watch Ronon fighting for his life. Rodney puts an arm around his waist and leans into him.

~~

Ronon is out and about less than a week later.

He's ready to go back on missions, even though Jennifer has told him quite firmly that his child will be born before that will happen.

Rodney isn't ready to go back, though. He also isn't ready to let John go on missions anymore. The possibility has always been there that either of them doesn't come back, but it's always been worth it. Now, every time John leaves through the gate, something in Rodney's gut twists and won't let go until John returns. He still believes in what they do, but he no longer thinks that it has to be _them_ doing it.

Every step that he's taken so far in their relationship was one that he was reasonably certain would either be welcomed or at least not opposed in such a way that Rodney wouldn't be able to convince John that he was right. It isn't as simple this time.

John loves Atlantis, and even though he loves Rodney too and even though Rodney knows that eventually they will return to Earth, he doesn't know if _now_ is the time. He knows it's for him, but John might want to stay for a few more years, and Rodney doesn't know what he could say to that other than, "I'm afraid to lose you. I always was, but now it's become unbearable."

He still hasn't decided what to say when John sits down at Rodney's desk after dinner and asks, "What's up?" in a tone far too serious.

"I want to go back to Earth," Rodney settles on saying. He can't pretend that the decision is already made. Not this time.

John watches him for a long moment. He isn't surprised. They've been married for over a year, known each other for a long time before that. Eventually, he quietly and sadly says, "Okay."


	6. Yes, this

They've looked at dozens of houses when John takes him to a beach in Northern California. It's winter and the day is pretty cold. Rodney is ready to whine when John leads him up a small path to a private property.

They have discussed places to buy or to rent, but haven't come up with just the right thing yet. John hasn't mentioned this house, though, and as Rodney watches him, he notices that John is more subdued than he usually is.

"What do you think?" John asks when they stand on the patio leading to the beach.

Rodney doesn't really know what to think. He's not wild about the beach, but then he doesn't have to go out there if he doesn't want to. He can't even see how large it is from where they're standing. And he's more intrigued by why John looks slightly tense. "How did you find it?" he asks.

"It belongs to me. My father gave it to me when he passed away. We used to spend our summers here. It's been rented out for the last couple of years, but after we got married and the last tenants left, I didn't look for new ones. We don't have to live here, of course. We could just stay until we find the right thing. Or sell it. Or rent it out again."

Rodney is stunned. John has mentioned summers on the beach, but not that they had their own house and not that it belonged to him. And he also hasn't mentioned that he's kept it free for them since they got married.

Rodney likes to be the one in their relationship who takes them to the next step. He likes to think that he's the one who's made it possible, who made his vision come alive.

But really, John is always right there with him.

"Show me," Rodney says, taking John's hand.

~~

It's later in spring when he steps into their home and watches John making lunch in their kitchen that he realizes that they're there now. This is exactly what he envisioned over two years ago when he realized that he and John were meant to be.

He feels a bit smug about it, but mostly very happy.

After lunch, when they sit outside at the beach (protected by a huge sunshade), Rodney looks at John and can't help saying, "I always _knew_ we'd end up like this."

John shifts to his side, facing Rodney. "No, you didn't," he says.

"Yes, I did," Rodney insists.

"Then why did you wait so long before acting?" John asks.

Rodney flushes. "Well, not _always_ always. But that day, before I _acted_. I knew then."

John frowns and smiles at the same time. "How?"

"I don't know. It was like a switch was turned and... _this_."

John laughs. "And you never thought it might not... happen?"

"No," Rodney says resolutely. "And I was right. Every time."

"So that's why you always just..." John makes a vague gesture encompassing them, their house, everything.

"We would have gotten nowhere if I'd waited for _you_ to do something," Rodney says defensively.

John grins. "True. But I just..." He shakes his head. "I'm glad you didn't wait," he says and leans over to kiss Rodney.

Rodney is mollified. John pulls back and lies down, looking thoughtful.

~~

That night in bed, after he's blown and fucked Rodney, John drapes one hand over Rodney's chest, moving along with every deep breath.

"So," he asks Rodney, who's only beginning to recover from the awesomely great sex they still have. "Should our first be a boy or a girl?"


End file.
